Yes, Your Maple Syrup Can Go Bad, Here’s How to Check (2024)

FAQs

Yes, Your Maple Syrup Can Go Bad, Here’s How to Check? ›

The best way to check on your maple syrup is to smell it or take a small taste. If it smells good and tastes good, it is good! If there is mold on the surface or in the container, you can scrape it off or strain the syrup through a cheese cloth to remove all of the mold pieces.

So does syrup ever go bad? The short answer is technically no, syrup does not expire and you can keep an unopened container of the stuff on your shelf indefinitely. That's due to the high sugar content of pure maple syrup, according to the experts at Ben's Sugar Shack, which produces syrup in New Hampshire.

Once open, if you keep the product refrigerated, it will last several months. If a thin layer of mold develops on an opened container of syrup, it can safely be removed and the syrup re-sterilized by bringing it briefly to 190° (a brief, light boil) and then rebottling it.

Is it still safe to eat? Absolutely. Because of its high sugar content, maple syrup will last a very long time at typical room temperatures. The worst you would have to do (after quite a long period of exposure) would be to skim a thin layer of mold off of the top.

The best way to check on your maple syrup is to smell it or take a small taste. If it smells good and tastes good, it is good! If there is mold on the surface or in the container, you can scrape it off or strain the syrup through a cheese cloth to remove all of the mold pieces.

This is the result of sugar sand (also called niter) and every sugarmaker has dealt with it in their syrup-making career. While it's not very appetizing and can sometimes affect taste, sugar sand is not a sign of spoilage or bad syrup.

But once opened, pure maple syrup should be stored in the refrigerator. This is less about safety (the heat packing process prevents contamination) than it is about quality, as leaving it out increases the likelihood of mold.

What to Do. To melt the lumps of sugar and return them to a liquid state, place your container of maple syrup in a pot of simmering water. Add 1 to 2 tsp (5 to 10 ml) of water to the syrup container per 1 cup (250 ml) of syrup and heat gently. You can also do this step in the microwave.

Maple syrup can be stored in the freezer indefinitely. Fun fact: Maple syrup freezes in a slushy consistency because of the sugars in it.

Maple syrup gives you carbohydrates in the form of sugars without fiber. As a result, maple syrup can cause swings in blood sugar and insulin levels. Insulin is a hormone that moves sugar in our blood to cells that convert it to energy. People with diabetes may have bad side effects from the sugar in maple syrup.

Can you boil mold out of maple syrup? ›

One cool thing about maple syrup is that the sugar content is so high that mold generally doesn't grow inside the syrup; it's only on the top surface. For generations, Vermonters have skimmed or strained off the mold, boiled, and then merrily poured the maple syrup onto their pancakes.

Because mold can be subtle in its early stages of growth, it can be easily missed, so it's good to make a habit of glancing at the surface before agitating the bottle or using the syrup. An off smell can be quickly identified in syrup that's gone bad. It will smell sour, musty, or even chocolatey.

In the U.S., doctors do a blood test to check babies for MSUD as part of newborn screening. Children with milder forms of MSUD may not be diagnosed until they are older and start to show symptoms. If doctors suspect MSUD, they will check the amino acid levels in the blood and other acids in the urine.

As it turns out, maple syrup does have a shelf life once opened, and mold is not as uncommon as we thought. StillTasty.com indicates that 100 percent pure maple syrup should keep for a year unopened in the pantry, a year opened in the refrigerator, and indefinitely in the freezer.

Maple syrup is particularly susceptible to types of moulds that can grow in high-sugar environments. Mould prevention in maple syrup is an ongoing challenge for maple syrup producers because the presence of mould in maple syrup can severely impact the perceived quality of that syrup.

Does maple syrup really get better with age? Absolutely. Allowing maple syrup to age in bourbon barrels lets the flavors of scotch, cognac, or bourbon that was housed in the wooden barrels before seep into the syrup, as well letting other flavors in to create a well-rounded profile.

Children with intermediate MSUD also display the characteristic odor of maple syrup in their sweat, urine and earwax. Children with Intermittent MSUD typically have normal growth and intellectual development, and most can eat normal levels of protein in their diet.

When should I call my doctor about maple syrup urine disease (MSUD)? If your baby or child shows signs of MSUD, you should seek immediate medical care. Though it's very rare for older children and adults to develop the disease, you should contact your provider any time you detect a maple syrup smell in urine or sweat.

The sweeter, the higher alcohol you'll likely get. However, there is too sweet that it won't ferment. In that case you've made maple syrup- congrats. Monitor your boiling, whether it's indoors or outside.